Dear Friends,

The anti-hunger community lost a dear friend, advocate, and fierce hunger fighter this past week with the passing of Steveanna Wynn, the former executive director of the Share Food Program for nearly three decades. The Coalition Against Hunger recognizes that we would not be where we are today without her resolute support over the years.

The Coalition operated under the legal and fiscal umbrella of Share for approximately nine years (1999-2008). From the beginning, Steveanna warmly welcomed the Coalition under Share’s roof and into the Share family. During that time, we were able to develop our programming around SNAP and food pantries, strengthen partnerships, and establish our advocacy work. Without this vital assistance, the Coalition would not have been in the position to apply for our own nonprofit status and grow to become the organization we are today.

We recall Steveanna fondly as we prepare for another Race Against Hunger this spring.  She embraced the Race as an opportunity for us all to come together in solidarity to bring the shame of hunger out of the shadows and into the public’s collective awareness. Each year when we held the event on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, she would station the Share truck at the base of the Art Museum steps and act as our command central. Whether she was providing a band aid for a scraped knee, directing volunteers, addressing a locked port-a-potty, sharing a joke, or giving a hug, she did so with kindness and gusto. She was an extraordinary woman who will be remembered in our hearts at every Race.

To learn more about our hunger hero, Steveanna Wynn, take a moment to read Alfred Lubrano’s recent tribute in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO! The start of the 25th Annual VIRTUAL Race Against Hunger 5K Run/Walk is finally here! Starting TODAY until Monday, April 26th, #HungerFighters everywhere will run or walk along a certified 5K route mapped out by Bryn Mawr Racing along Kelly Drive or in their own communities to show their support for the thousands of people living in the Philadelphia region who struggle to put food on their table.

If you haven’t registered, there’s still time! Buy Your Race Ticket Today! If you aren’t able to join the Race this year, please consider Making a Donation. Proceeds of the Race Against Hunger support the work of the Coalition as well as food pantries, soup kitchens and hunger-fighting organizations in the region. 

We cannot express enough our gratitude to this year’s Race sponsors who made it possible for us to host this very important event despite the world’s current challenges—You are true #HUNGERFIGHTERS! A HUGE thank you to The Specter Family Foundation, The Vogt Foundation, Gateway Health, Wawa Foundation, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr and the employees of The Graham Company!

To register or make a donation, please visit www.phillyhungerrace.com

Turning to nutrition supports specifically for children, we have a few updates to share:

• The deadline is approaching for schools to submit their lists of students who are eligible for P-EBT. It’s very important that families make sure their school has their up-to-date mailing address and children’s correct date of birth on file. Please feel free to share these social media posts from our P-EBT toolkit to remind families! And, for School District of Philadelphia students, the deadline to report changes is TODAY. Families can report this information with the forms available on the district’s P-EBT webpage (note, hotlines to assist multilingual families are also listed).
• Late last week, Pennsylvania’s P-EBT plan for young children (0-5) was approved. The most important things to know are that P-EBT for young children will be issued to young children in households that a) receive SNAP benefits, and b) who live in an area where schools have been using remote or hybrid learning models. So, the bottom line is that if a family has young children who are SNAP eligible, but not are not enrolled, they should apply for SNAP as soon as possible!
• Lastly, with many schools moving from remote learning to in-person or hybrid models, many school districts have had to update their school meal distribution schedules. Our fantastic intern, Jess, has updated our Spring 2021 SEPA Meal Distribution list with the latest information from school districts in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties.

Lastly, another important resources we’d like to share:

The City of Philadelphia recently announced phase 4 of the PHLRentAssist program through which it offers emergency rental assistance to help tenants and landlords who have been impacted by COVID-19. Applications are being accepted now.